


To become a great king

by EmoPenguin



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood Friends, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Prince Oikawa Tooru, Slow Burn, royal au, royal guard iwaizumi hajime
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28456722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmoPenguin/pseuds/EmoPenguin
Summary: When Tooru Oikawa was a little kid, his mother took him for a visit to a family of very skilled swordsmiths, where he met a much needed pillar in one Iwaizumi Hajime!there is literally no historical accuracy, I just created my own world with its own rules and traditions!
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue

The sun was shining straight onto Tooru’s face, as the carriage slowly moved towards their destination - Kitagawa Daiichi. The prince had never been so far away from home before, so he didn’t really focus on his mother’s words, already excited for the journey.

"Tooru, please, straighten up.” 

"But no one sees me right now anyway. Why do I have to?”

"Because even alone, you are still the prince. Behave like one.” when he complied, the queen continued. "You are going to meet a rather… Seemingly unimportant family, as your father might have told you. However you cannot disrespect them in any way. You never know where and when you meet your true allies.”

"Father told me they should show respect to me.”

"Yes, of course, but-” 

"And if they don’t, I have every right to-”

"Tooru. I don’t want to know what it is your father have told you. Just… They are people, just like us. They deserve respect, just like you and me. They work hard and even if they are not even close to royalty, they contribute to their kingdom’s well-being in their own way. We can’t forget this.”

After a reassuring, beaming, seemingly understanding smile from the small boy, over the carriage fell a comfortable silence. For many kids his age the journey would be boring, but for Tooru it was an opportunity to dream about wonderful adventures he was never going to experience as a prince, let alone later as a king. 

He’d never complained about this. His father explained to him how important his role was for the whole Aoba Johsai. They where on the verge of war with both Shiratorizawa and Karasuno for the past decade and no one knew if, or when, it was gonna blew up. Aoba Johsai’s king was getting old and the queen stubbornly insisted on waiting at least a few years before marrying their daughter off to some noble suited for temporarily taking over the throne before the king's son was old enough to become the righteous king. Needless to say, the situation was tense and even the eight year old prince understood that much.

Upon arriving, Tooru’s eyes met a surprisingly breath-taking building, despite being significantly smaller than their palace, and a large yard filled with training kids up to around fifteen year olds. The group was wielding wooden swords and there was no adult in sight to supervise them. It was so strange and weirdly captivating for the prince, that he would forget all about where he was, if it wasn’t for his mother reprimanding him for leaning out of the carriage and staring with his mouth open. 

"So, like I said before, show them respect just the same you would show smaller nobility at home. The Iwaizumi family is a family of very skilled swordsmiths. Regardless of what your father claims, we need their help to be prepared for a war. Do you understand, Tooru?”

Just now the prince realized that his mother was very tense. Was it because she was afraid he would embarrass her? Destroy their kingdom’s chance for the apparently really needed cooperation? That was not the first time he would participate in an important meeting and so far he’d never heard a word of complaint about his behavior. 

"Yes, mother.” 

They were welcomed by Hana Iwaizumi - a short, young, muscular woman with big, scared eyes. She took them to the yard they had seen from the road, leading them straight towards a small shack in the middle. She opened the cabin, revealing an impressing collection of armor and weapons.

Just as she started to present one of the swords, Tooru felt a weight hitting his arm. Suddenly, he found himself on the ground, covered by a small body and met with a face very similar to Hana’s. 

The queen gasped, waiting for the prince’s reaction. He might not be short-tempered or disrespectful on a daily basis, but no one had ever tackled him like this before and most of the nobility, raised feeling better than everyone else, would snap at the poor boy, who now struggled to stand up.

"Sorry,” the muscular boy panted, offering the smaller a hand. 

To everyone’s surprise, Tooru took it without much hesitation, stood up and calmly dusted himself off. He wasn't stupid - his mother made it clear that this visit, so odd and seemingly unimportant, was a big deal to her and the whole Aoba Johsai.

"I’m okay.” he smiled and looked at the terrified kids who stopped training. It looked like the main culprit was the only one who remained calm. The prince's eyes shone, recalling every story his father had told him about knights and soldiers. "What is it you’re doing?”

"We’re in the middle of a training. I was winning, but Kunimi tripped me.”

One of the boys tensed at that.

"I… I didn’t.” he managed to say.

"That’s awesome. Are you preparing to fight in a war? You are like… Training to be heroes!” that’s what the king always called the knights, the soldiers and the most trusted guards - heroes of their kingdom. And apparently that was exactly the right thing to say, because his mother huffed a laugh of relief and the culprit beamed at him.

"Yes, we are! Mom says my father was a hero who fought in a war, you know? And I’m gonna be a hero, too. I mean… She says that we might never even see a war in our lifes, but isn’t Shiratorizawa and Karasuno like really pissed with Aoba Johsai right now? And you want us to fight for your kingdom, right? That’s why you’re here? To take some of us to Aoba Johsai and let us fight in your war? Right?”

"Hajime,” Hana interrupted, upset with the boy. "Please, behave. This is the prince of Aoba Johsai. Apologize and come back to your training. Don’t bother him any more.” 

"But I already apologized. And he said he was okay. You’re okay, right?” 

"Hajime!” her eyes widened even more. "I am so sorry for my son. He is not used to being even in a close proximity of royalty. I should have postponed the kids’ training, so that they wouldn’t bother you.” 

"Mother, he’s not bothering me. He’s training to be a hero. Just like father always says." Tooru grabbed the queen’s robe, surprising both women in how eager he was to protect and praise the boy who tackled him and then spoke to him as if he didn’t know who he was. He acted like a child, not a prince, but she didn’t seem too upset with this outburst. "He might even become a knight or at least-”

"He could’t possibly become a knight. You know this.” she interrupted him calmly. "But maybe, if Hana-san doesn’t mind, Hajime could take you with him and show you how he trains? Teach you something?”

"Could he?” his eyes shone, looking between his mother, Hajime and Hana. 

"Of course,” the woman was quick to confirm. "Hajime?”

"Sure,” he reluctantly acknowledged his new chore. Even he knew he couldn’t say no to a prince, especially after tackling him to the ground like that.

"Just be careful, please," the queen said, watching the boys walk into the group of their more or less peers.

Hajime shoved a wooden sword into the prince’s hands and walked a few feet away from him.

"Have you ever wielded a sword?” 

"No, my father says I'm a prince and I should be protected at all times anyway. It wouldn't make sense for me to lose time on training.”

"That’s stupid,” he grimaced. "My mom says that a man should always be able to protect a woman. And that the king is supposed to protect the whole kingdom. How are you going to be a man or a king?”

"I am a man,” Tooru squealed, already less than happy with the situation, despite being the one to beg for it. "And I have people to protect me and my kingdom. Don’t worry about it. Just tell me what I’m supposed to do. It can’t be that hard, if you can do it.” 

The kids surrounding them tensed again in response to the sudden change of tone in the prince’s voice. Everyone except for Hajime.

"Ugh, you’re insufferable. I’m not sure anyone has ever managed to piss me off so much in that short amount of time.”

"Watch it. I’m-”

"The prince, I know. It’s really hard no to, when you’re dressed like this.”

To this, Tooru had no answer. He was wearing a fancy, pricey robe that his mother had chosen for him. It was perfect for an official visit, but among kids in lose, cheap, comfortable clothes, he really stood out. With a pout on his lips, he let Hajime set his legs in a stable position and tried to mimic the way the boy was holding his sword. 

After an hour of training in full sun, Hajime and Tooru were the only two who remained in the yard. The prince had never had this much exercise in his life, but he was determined to defeat his new acquaintance at least once. 

"I think that’s enough. You suck, but not as much as you did at the beginning. You learn really fast.” 

"Aw, are you tired already, Iwa-chan? Are you giving up?”

"Tch, you’ve been training for an hour and you already smell like a pig. I just think it would be better for your royal pride to take my offer of a break.”

"Worry less about my pride and more about me surpassing you, Iwa-chan.”

"Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

"And what is it that I’m doing, Iwa-chan?” he attacked, falling easily into a stable position and preparing for retaliation. 

"You’re trying to distract me with this stupid nickname.” Iwaizumi dodged without much thought and quickly swung his sword in his attacker’s general direction.

"Am I now, Iwa-chan?” Tooru stepped back and then back forward, trying not to lose his ground.

"Stop it.” Hajime, thanks to the few months of training he had over Tooru, immediately gained advantage over the scrawny boy and from the dodging one turned into the main attacker. 

"Iwa-chan,” the prince sang, dancing from the left to the right and protecting himself from the wood.

"You're so shitty... Shittykawa,” the well trained boy managed to say before slipping on an unfortunate root and falling to the ground. 

He barely even blinked before a sword forced him to look up at the triumphing prince.

"Now we can take a break, Iwa-chan.”

"I tripped, you didn’t win.” 

"You can say whatever you want, but we both know I’m just that good.”

Still bickering, they made their way to the facility.

When asked, Hajime told Tooru all about living there. Apparently, the building was separated into two sections - one for _heroes in training_ , as Tooru insisted on calling them, and one for the Iwaizumi family and a few other people working as swordsmiths or as some kind of help in there. 

For some reason Hana Iwaizumi lived in a single room, in the trainees’s section. She would always come up with a different reason while asked, most frequently telling her son that she wanted to be close to him in case something happened to him or in case he had a really bad nightmare, which he hadn’t since he was four, so _please stop treating me like a little kid, mom._

The queen was in a very good mood when they reunited, so she was only a little surprised when she saw Tooru’s destroyed robes and didn’t scold him for that. They both bid their goodbyes and made their way back to their carriage. 

Since this meeting, a strong relationship formed both between the swordsmiths and Aoba Johsai and simply between the two families. They became both business partners and friends and when the queen would visit the swordsmiths, it was always with Tooru, who would run off as soon as it was appropriate and spend his time with Hajime, training, learning and bickering. Those times quickly became the highlights of his uneventful, royal life.


	2. Let's start with some good news

"Your majesty, the queen has requested your visit in the orangery.”

"Oikawa, you hear me?” 

Tooru looked up from the papers laid out in front of him. The seventeen, almost eighteen, year old prince was spending his free time catching up on all the stuff his parents never cared to teach him, preparing to take over their duties.

He obviously didn’t want them to die, but he wasn’t stupid - he was expecting this to happen soon, either because of their old age, health state or the tense situation with their neighbors - Karasuno and Shiratorizawa. It was only smart to be prepared and neither of them ever seemed eager to teach him the necessities. 

"Do you know why?” 

"No. But she was in a good mood. I think. So… There’s that. Or maybe she was just polite. I can never tell with her.”

"Thank you, Makki. Also, tell Matsun I wanted to wish him happy birthday in person. I’m pretty sure that bastard is avoiding me.”

"We all would avoid you if we could.”

"Shut up and apreciate your comfortable position,” he half-yelled over his shoulder, already making his way down the corridor.

As the prince’s personal guard, Takahiro Hanamaki was practically untouchable and everyone knew this. Including him, unfortunetely. Even if the odd duo was at each other's throats all the time, the prince would often use his position to prevent anything bad from happening to one of his closest friends. The bad things usually being simply consequences of the guard's actions, for which he would always get an earful from the prince, but they both knew the next time he was in danger, Tooru would still do the same.

That obviously applied to his other friend, Issei Matsukawa, as well, but Matsun was very clear about not wanting to be stuck in the palace. Tooru respected that, even if he didn’t uderstand how someone could be awaiting the dangers of war. Of course, the guard didn’t want a war to happen. No sane person would, but he would always say that when it happened, he wanted to be fighting among others and he never showed fear talking about this. 

"Mother?” 

As expected, the queen was waiting for him at the orangery - both her and her son’s favourite place in the palace. Thanks to the glass ceiling and walls it was always warm and the plants created a nice sense of privacy. They liked to hide among them, allowing themselves to breath between their responisbilities.

"Ah, yes, I’m sorry for cutting your free time short like that, but I wanted to talk to you.”

"What are you talking about? A conversation with my mother is not a responsibility. It’s a pleasure. Always.” he put on his charming smile and grabbed the woman’s hand, worry clear on his face. "Did something happen?”

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about a few things. Let’s start with some good news, okay?” Tooru noticed that her breathing was getting worse with every day. Every breath was shallow and sometimes he could hear her getting into an awful coughing fit in the middle of the night. "I’m sure you know that Hana and Hajime Iwaizumi are not living with the rest of the Iwaizumi family, right?”

"Yes, Hajime mentioned this a few times. Do you know why?”

"If Hajime didn’t tell you this, I don’t think I’m the right person to do this. All you need to know is that their relationship with their family is complicated. That’s why when I saw Hajime Iwaizumi’s name on the list-”

"He’s on the list?” the prince immediately beamed, worry pushed to the back of his mind. 

_The list_ was a list of kids from Kitagawa Daiichi that were at least sixteen, deemed good enough fighters to join the royal guard and willing to move to Aoba Johsai, where they would continue their training. In exchange, Aoba Johsai would provide weapon material for the royal swordsmiths, the Iwaizumi family. The kingdoms’ alliance was also a promise to join the fight if one of the kingdoms were attacked. 

"Yes, he is.” her smile was gentle, as always mother-like and warm. "I contacted his mother, since I saw the oportunity, and we decided that she’s coming with him. She’ll become my maid.”

"But that means…” his brain short-circuted. Hajime would stay here? In the palace? He would live there, with him? "He’ll be staying… In the palace?”

"Yes, Tooru. He will. He’s coming today with his mother.”

That was new, too. Not only did the prince not know that Hajime had been accepted this year, the rest of the kids from Kitagawa Daiichi was supposed to arrive later that month. That was really good news, but…

"What’s the bad news then? Is it about the Iwaizumi family too?”

"Oh, no. No, it’s about the visit form Karasuno and Shiratorizawa. I want you to start considering your options for marriage. I’ve noticed how reluctant you are about the idea, but-”

"No. I understand it. My choice will affect the kingdom’s situation. I know.”

"Good." she seemed surprised, but she didn't question him. "So, I was thinking about prince Ushijima...” 

_Prince?_

"What? I’m… Why would you…? A prince? A man?”

At that the queen looked even more confused.

Tooru’s breath quickened. He did let Mattsun and Makki know that he enjoyed a company of a man just as much as a company of a woman a few times before. The two young guards were a couple and they both had the prince’s trust, so it didn’t feel like a bad idea. Could they had told someone? Could a gossip like that get to his mother?

"I hoped it wouldn’t be a problem? It’s just…” she abruptly inhaled and looked him in the eye. "I don’t think you are ready to take over the throne alone, sweetie. You need someone to lead you. And, I mean... The world is moving forward. So should we.”

That was the last thing he’d excpected to hear.

Not ready? He knew more about diplomacy than his mother and at least as much as his father. Strategy was obviously his strong suit. After his training in Kitagawa Daiichi he could easily join the guard. Being of royal descent, he could become a knight. Those were all traits that were supposed to make him a great king. There was no way he was going to let it all go by submissing to a husband and giving him the power. 

Not to mention how unexpected his mother's wish for him to marry a man was.

"Mother, I would like to apologize in advance for being disrespectful, but… I am ready to take over the throne. Maybe the position of… A royal ornament is good enough for you. But I'm the only son of the king. It is my right and duty to take his place after his death. And I won’t dissappoint you. I can promise you that. Now I hope you can excuse me, but I don't see a point in continuing this discussion without my father's presence.” 

And maybe _a royal ornament_ wasn't the best way to describe the queen. Tooru knew that. She was one of the best diplomats he knew, only slightly less talented than the king. Recently she basicaly took over every single responsibility of his father. She could act nice and naive, sometime even silly, but her mind was sharp, always vigilant. Yet the front she puts got her this snarky name. In the public eye she became everything the prince didn't want to become.

Walking out of the orangery, he let a few tears fall down his cheeks. It was always a weakness of his - he cried way too easily. Perhaps that’s what made him look weak and too emotional in other’s eyes.

He quickly made his way down the hall, trying to compose himself. Storming off like that probably didn't help his case. He proved to be as immature as his parents deemed him. But if he stayed and continued the conversation, his words could be way harsher, and that could take away any chance he still had.

Getting outside the palace, he was met with a carriege. A short, at least compered to Tooru, boy was busy with a baggage, but when their eyes met, everything was forgoten.

"Oikawa”


	3. A long awaited guest

Iwaizumi’s scent overwhelmed his senses. Despite being confused by the public display of affection, the boy immediately returned the hug, squeezing the prince as hard as he could, which was almost ribs-bruising, since Hajime was here as one of his small kingdom’s best fighters. 

"Is that how you welcome all of your guests, _your majesty_?” 

"Just the really long awaited ones,” he whispered, his mouth burried in the shorter’s shoulder. 

Maybe a hug in the middle of the main yard, in front of the palace, was unbecoming for a prince, but at that moment he couldn’t care less. 

"We saw each other this summer, Shittykawa,” despite his words, the new comer tightened his grip once more before letting him go and eyeing him up and down.

"So, you’re gonna live in the palace now, right?”

"I’m not sure yet if I’m ready to put up with you on a daily basis, but yes, that’s the plan.”

"Your Majesty! I didn’t expect the prince himself to welcome us.” Hana Iwaizumi approached them, two bags in her hands. 

"Well, to be honest, I didn’t expect you to come at all, Iwaizumi-san. Though that was a very pleasant surprise. My mother informed me of the plan you two made just a few moments ago.” 

"We hope we won’t inconvenience you too much. We’re honoured by the opportunity we’re given. Right, Hajime?”

"Of course. We’re _so honoured_.” he rolled his eyes, a fond smile still present on his face. "Let me take the bags, mom.”

After a small argument, Hajime finally let a servant take their luggage and they made their way inside the palace. Following said servant, Hana stayed in her small room, close to the queen’s chamber. The men walked further away, towards the knight’s, soldier's and private guards's part of the castle. It wasn’t that close to the royal chambers, since they didn’t spend as much time in their rooms between their trainings and responsibilities.

"According to the orders I received, this is where you will be staying. Ehm… Your Majesty, is there something I can do for you?”

"No, thank you. You can leave.” 

The servant quickly made his way out of the room, reluctantly closing the door. 

The prince dramaticaly fell on the one free bed, burrying his face in the clean pillow. 

"Something wrong?” Hajime sat down next to him, teasingly flicking the hair on his neck.

"You’re sharing this room with my friends. They are going to tell you so much embarrasing stories about me, I’m sure of it.”

The guard looked at the ceiling, laying down on his friend’s back. 

"I’m sure I know more embarrasing stories about you.”

"Well, you never got drunk with me.”

"We’ll have to change that.”

Tooru grinned into the pillow at the thought. They would actually have a chance to spend time with each other. Not just one day once or twice a year and a shit-ton of letters. His best friend was now going to spend every day at the palace with him, or at least in his close proximity. 

"Why did your mother come?”

"Because apparently our family hates her,” Hajime groaned, laying further down, so that his head was hanging on the other side of the prince. "And because there’s this disgusting rumor about her living in the same part of the facility as approximately two hundred young men.”

"What did she do to make your familty hate her? Did she kill someone?”

The silence after the stupid question came as a surprise to the prince.

"Wha- She did?” he basically screamed, sound muffled by the pillow. 

"No! Of course not.” Hajime inhaled deeply. "Turns out my father didn’t die on a battlefield. My mom doesn’t even know if he’s dead. He was supposed to tell his family when she got pregnant. Get some money. Maybe, you know… Emotional support. But the next day he and his family were no where to be found. At least that’s what mom told me. While we were on our way here. Perfect timing.”

"Shit.”

"Yeah… I mean, it’s not like I believed in her stories about my father _the great hero_ anyway. I knew something was up for a few years now.”

Tooru hummed in response.

This time, the silence between them was comforting. Familiar. They layed in this uncomfortable, weird position, just enjoying each other’s company. For once not worrying about having to part any time soon. It was nice. Any divide between them that came with Tooru’s royalty dissapeared like always when they were alone. Despite there still being a lot to say, they both preffered to stay quiet for now.

But even here, in the palace, Hajime's new home, they couldn't enjoy it forever. They were interrupted by a loud bang of the opening door and two overexcited voices, one of them only slightly calmer than the other.

Hajime almost fell, trying to get himself out of the affectionate position with the prince, while Tooru simply laughed, apparently unashamed. 

"Really, Oikawa? Let us at least decide whether we like the guy or not before you get into his bed.”

"I’m Hanamaki. This is Matsukawa. I’m this asshole’s private guard, since his not exisitng ass couldn’t handle a fight with a chair, if he was in one,” it was obvious that they wanted to embarass the prince in front of Hajime.

The confused boy looked at Tooru, not believing his ears. The man laying on his bed was the furthest thing from weak and the two men were supposed to be his friends. They just suggested that Tooru could be sleeping with a man. If they knew about this side of him, why would the prince hide the fact that he can fight from them?

"They’re just kidding.” Oikawa stood up, throwing his arm around the short guard’s shoulders. "They’ve been helping me train since that first time at Kitagawa. This is Mattsun.” he pointed at the taller of the two. "The guy that used the word _ass_ twice in one sentence is Makki. And this, ladies and gentelmen, is my Iwa-chan.” his fingers squished the boy’s cheeks, just to be quickly swaped away.

"Yeah, don’t call me that. I’m Iwaizumi. And I’m deifinitely not _his_.”

After the introducions, the two guards presented some foreign to Hajime alcohol they had hidden in their room and tried to fill in their new acquaintance on how everything in Aoba Johsai works, only to find out that the prince had already told him almost everything in his letters over the years. 

The prince’s friends got along pretty well and Tooru felt a relief, even if he hadn’t register his anxiety before. When the time for him to leave came, he asked his oldest friend for an escort, leaving his actual private guard behind. 

"Iwaizumi…” he basically whispered, not sure if he could trust his own voice. "Can we talk?”

The shorter’s heart skipped a bit, while his mind was running faster than ever before. Oikawa wanted to _talk to him_ about something? In his mind everything narrowed down to two options - either the prince realized that his best friend’s feeling for him were not stricly platonic and wanted to deal with it, since they were supposed to live in the same place or he was the one who developed romantic feelings for him and wanted to confess. The latter option was rather optimistic, but a boy could dream. Also after meeting Makki and Mattsun, he was not exactly sober.

"My mother tries to do me out of becoming a king.”

Well, there was a third option. He kind of jumped to conclusion there.

"Why would she do that?”

"I don’t think she ever wanted me to become the king. I mean, she never prepared me for this, I’ve always tried to catch up on everything on my own. Now she tries to marry me off. One of the options is a man. The prince of Shiratorizawa.”

Right. Oikawa is a prince. Even if he reciprocated Iwaizumi’s feeling, he’d still be married off to someone else. He knew that before, obviously. And yet hearing him say that made his heart clench a little. He could probably fault the unknown alcohol for that.

"Why didn't she marry your sister off to some prince and let her take over?”

"Oh, my sweet, naive, Iwa-chan,” he sang, dramaticaly falling on a nerby wall. "I’m still going to be the king, as the current king’s only son. But my husband will make the decisions, since our kingdom is apparently _modern_ enough to let me marry a man, but not modern enough to let me chose mu husband, or let my sister permanently become the queen.”

"And what does your father have to say about that?”

"I haven’t talked to him yet, but I don’t think he cares. He’s really focused on preparing the knights for a war recently, so he doesn’t really care about anything else. My mother takes care of everything. But don’t worry, I won’t let her turn me into a _king’s wife_.”

"I know.” 

And that was true - Tooru was smart, strong and determined. But he was also way more scared than he let on. Otherwise he wouldn’t anxiously tell him about this. He would rant and walk around and throw himself on the bed, close to tears becuase of the frustration. 

Hajime was one of the few people that actually understood the fear. His friend was preparing to become a king since a very young age and he had a really hard time coming to terms with someone else dictating him who to marry, but he made his peace with it. Over the years, he’d made a lot of sacrifices and after all this, his mother wanted to take everything away from him. He’d be stuck in the palace, everyone looking up to him with respect and yet he’d have no power, no right to decide. 

Despite all that, Hajime believed that if anyone could persuade the queen, or the king, that would be Tooru. But maybe he was biased.


	4. Good night, Iwa-chan

Days went by and turned into weeks. Tooru and Hajime didn’t get to spend much time together, but they appreciated every hour they had. It was still more than they’d had before, when the two best friends mostly corresponded through letters. 

At the Aoba Johsai pallace they could talk and train almost to their hearts' content. The prince was a frequent guest at the three guards’ room, every night filled with laugh and various goods stolen by either Makki, Mattsun, or Tooru himself. 

At one point from Kitagawa Daiichi arrived more fighters, ready to become guards. Among them there were people the prince had met during his visits, like Yuutarou Kindaichi and Akira Kunimi. Like all the new comers, they were offered a house in the kingdom along with the usual pay for their work, so they didn't reconnect with their friends outside of the training grounds just yet. Their secret sparring matches with Oikawa felt just like their childhood back at home.

During all this time, the prince made multiple attempts at contacting the king, but with no success. The only proof of life the royal family had from him was a letter sent by his servant, reporting about small battles with Karasuno near the border. They were caused by the tense atmosphere among simple people, easy to manage for actual knights and soldiers, and yet the letter inclined that many people from Karasuno were brutally killed. 

The day of Tooru’s eighteenth birthday was getting closer and with that the day of the visit from Karasuno and Shiratorizawa. His mother didn’t change her behaviour - she was kind and her words were warm when speaking to her children, but whenever the prince brought up their fight, she’d quickly cut him off, telling him to contact the king, since he told her he would weeks before. 

"So you’re telling me _the_ Iwaizumi Hajime used to catch bugs?”

"And then felt bad about it?”

Waiting for Hajime to come back from his sparring match, a slightly tipsy Tooru humored his friends by recalling every embarrasing story about his friend he could and occasionaly tearing up a little bit at the fond memories. Makki and Mattsun listened with great interest, gaining more and more teasing material.

"Cicadas. Sometimes he’d give them to me and then beg me to let them go. Not that I ever complained about it, I hated those little things. They were terrifying.” he shivered in disgust, taking a sip from the bottle in his hand."You, guys, are making a drunk out of me, you know that?”

"We’ve never asked you to steal anything from the kitchen. It was all your idea, _your grace._ ”

The prince passed the already emptied by them bottle and laid down on Hajime’s bed, grunting quietly. It became the best friends’ tradition to wish each other good night every evening, even if they couldn’t see each other during the day, so Tooru was determined to stay awake untill Hajime came back. 

Makki and Mattsun didn’t say anything about it before, for once keeping their thoughts to themselves, but the shorter boy snapped, when he saw the prince hugging his friend’s pillow.

"What’s between you two?”

The other guard and the prince stilled, the silence suddenly slightly tense. 

"We’re friends.” Tooru hid his face in the pillow. They all knew that was a lie, but not talking about Hajime and Tooru was an unspoken rule in the group that the light haired guard suddenly decided to break.

"Yeah, no,” Matsukawa took his boyfriend’s side. "If that’s what friendship looks like to you, I don’t think we can be friends with you. You’re all over him. All the time. You do this stupid, romantic shit with meeting just to wish each other a good night. And you know it’s not one sided. You’re the only one Iwaizumi let’s-”

"And what exacly do you expect me to do about it?” the prince sat up, revealing his red eyes and a few tears on his cheek. "Our friendship can last a lifetime in this state. An actual relationship couldn’t, not with me. So the way I see it, I can confess my _undying love_ to him and lose him completely if he’s smart enough to reject me, or I can confess and we try to live our lives together, and it lasts a few years, if we’re lucky. Then I marry and we end up hurt and lonely. Or we continue like this, caring for each other and not making stupid decisions that will end whatever it is we have.”

"Why don’t you marry him? You’re the prince. Your mother wants you to marry some foreign prince, but she won’t force you, right? If him being a man is not the problem, then what is?”

"I can’t marry him. I wish I could, I’m pretty sure it would solve all my problems at the moment. But the reason my mother suddenly declared her wish for me to marry a man is not her suddenly thinking that _all kinds of love are beatiful_. She doesn’t think I can manage a kingdom, so she prefers to marry me off to someone who can. By all means, if you can convice my mother that that someone is a guard, I will be the happiest man alive.” 

At that moment Hajime opened the door, meeting eyes with crying Tooru, who at this point was almost shaking with emotions. Weeks of stress, overwork and pain that felt almost physical finally got to him, breaking him completely.

"What happened?” the prince just hid his face in his hands and tried to calm himself, unsuccesfully. The short man threw his weapon on the ground near his bed and sat next to Tooru, who threw himself into his arms.

"I think he had too much to drink,” Makki explained awkwardly, laying down next to Mattsun on a single bed, both facing towards the wall. 

Hajime, despite obviously not believing this for a second, didn’t question them further. He kept hugging his best friend, making soothing noices next to his ear and calming circles with his palm on his lower back, untill the prince stopped crying. Not knowing what happened, the guard didn’t want to let go of the prince, so he laid them both down and embraced his lean body without a word. 

The shorter didn’t fall asleep until he was sure the man in his arms was breathing deeply and calmly. When he woke up for his morning training, the two guards were already gone and the prince was still sleeping, so he left a reluctant kiss on his forehead and quickly left the room, panicing when Tooru stirred. 

When he came back in the evening, his bed was empty. Makki and Mattsun shared a worried look when he looked at it with dissapointment. Of course he wasn’t expecting Tooru to stay the whole day in his room. It could be dangerous if he was caught here. Not to mention, even if the prince didn’t have to wake up as early, he had a lot of responsibilities too. 

But the peacful look on his face when he was asleep, when Hajime was so close that he could take a really good look of his long, beautiful eyelashes. When his usually flossy hair looked anything but graceful, flatten by the pillow. This morning, it was really difficult to remember that he was a prince, living a life so different than his. 

"I love him,” he whispered, unsure wheter he tried to confide in his friends or simply say the words out loud. 

Quiet knocking caught their attetion. Hajime sighed and went to open the door, where he was met with apologetic Tooru, shivering in his nightgown.

"I know it’s late, but my servant was keeping an eye on me all day. Apparently he was really worried when I wasn’t in my bed this morning. He didn’t seem worried to me, when I walked in on him snooping in my wardrobe, which… Weird. I’m never leaving him alone in my room again. So… Good night, Iwa-chan.” 

Amazed by the figure in front of him, Hajime couldn’t help but grin. 

"Sleep well, Oikawa.”

With a small smile, the prince pulled him into a hug and whispered:

"After tommorow’s reception, let's meet at the orangery.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in sudden need of some hurt/comfort, so... I'm sorry that this chapter came out to be a short filler more than anything else. I promise the story will move froward in the next chapter. 
> 
> Thank you so much for the kind comments, they are the best motivation <3


	5. Prince Hironori

The next day, the whole palace was in a rush, servants finishing preparations for the prince’s birthday reception that was held that evening. Both prince Ushijima and princess Kiyoko were inviated and were supposed to stay a week for unofficial peace negotiations and a probably uncomfortable talk about marriage. Neither of them was aware of the latter. 

"Just so you know, princess Kiyoko will be accompanied by her maid and a guard. I wouldn’t look into her as a valid option for marriage, but I think we should give her a chance. Marrying a woman will look better for you, but we’ll do whatever’s necessary.”

 _Necessary_. Of course. 

"Mother, please, it’s my birthday. If you’re not intending to actually take my opinion under consideration, I would rather leave this conversation for another day.”

"As you wish.” the queen wasn’t pleased with her son’s answer, but she came back to taking him in. "Straighten up, Tooru. You’ll get wrinkles on your clothes.”

He obeyed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a fancy, uncomfortable robe. Nothing he wasn’t used to, but considering he’d changed into this from his lose, training clothes, it was almost suffocating. The prospect of spending at least half the night among the guests with fake smiles on their faces was not helping. 

He was good at it. He could smile, dance, talk, seemingly efortlessly gaining people’s trust and affection nearly in every situation. It was practically his job.

He would’ve much prefered to spend his birthday with the people he actually considered his family - Hajime, Makki and Mattsun. 

There was also his sister, whose company Tooru enjoyed, and her son - Takeru. The kid was smart and often mean, especially to his uncle, but the prince had a soft spot for him. The three of them had the most family-like relationship out of the Oikawas. The bar, however, was really low. 

The reception was not as big as it would usually be, but there were still guests from kingdoms Aoba Johsai was in alliance with - Kitagawa Daiichi, Nekoma and Fukurodani. 

Tooru danced with a few women, even dared to partner one man and tried to mentally prepare for the most important guests of the night. Simultanously, he was scanning the room, anxiously waiting for his father’s arrival, and if his eyes stayed for too long on one particular guard once or twice, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

At one point, the music stopped as the musicians were the first to notice one of the guards, who was supposed to be outside of the palace, barging in. 

"Your Grace, the king has arrived,” he panted with wide eyes and shaking hands. "Prince Hironori is with him. He’s… Severely injured. I don’t think he’s breathing.”

All eyes were on Akari - Tooru’s sister and aformentioned Hironori’s wife. The small, neutral smile fell from her face and a glass she was holding crushed on the floor. Her brother was next to her in no time, letting her lean on his shoulder. A few guards already left, along with the queen herself, to assist the king with the body and Tooru quickly called on one of the remaining ones.

"Iwaizumi, help me take her to her room,” he whispered, heard only by the two people next to him.

"I want to see him.”

"Akari, I don’t think-"

"I need to see him. Please. I need to see him,” she whimpered. Her shoulders were shaking with dry, silent cry. "Take me to him.”

The prince nodded quickly, looking at his friend’s focused face. They helped her stand straight and, while ignoring some worried and some disdainful looks, walked with her outside. The hall was quiet and cold. The dim light made the princess’ face look even more pale. 

When they stepped outside of the palace, Akari immediately ran to a small group of soldiers and guards. She kneeled and huged her husband’s body, whispering incoherent words. 

The king was also there, on his knees, saying something about _his son_ being the bravest man known to walk the Earth. Seeing his daughter, his eyes started searching for something. They stopped at his actual son and his face fell into an uneasy frown. He slowly stood up and approached him.

"I have a message for you, Tooru.” the prince straightened up, confused. "It’s from the man that shot Hironori on our way home. He said that the name _Iwaizumi_ should tell you something?”

Hajime tensed at the words, but Tooru remained calm, at least on the outside. His father was looking for someone to blame and he wasn’t going to let it be his childhood best friend. 

"Why? What should it tell me?”

"I don’t know. Are you familiar with anyone with that name?”

"Yes,” he said simply. His father was so out of touch that he didn’t even know the name of their main weapon supplier. Of people living in his own castle.

"Who?” 

Tooru simply made a step towards him and grabbed the sword attached to his hip. Holding it up in front of the king’s eyes, he remained calm. 

"This is the name of the people who made this sword. And most of our weapons. I don’t think this family is the culprit you’re looking for. We will find this man, father. But you have to remain-"

"Step back and answer my questions,” this time his voice was rough. "Is there someone of the name Iwaizumi, that comes to your mind before our weapons?”

The silence was thick, strained. Tooru didn’t break eye contact, choosing his next words carefully. 

"Father, I don’t think it’s wise to rely on the words of a murderer. Yes, there is a friend of mine, a guard, that came from Kitagawa Daiichi. His name is Iwaizumi. He’s not the one you’re looking for, he hasn’t sent any letters since he arrived at Aoba Johsai, he didn’t contact his family. Even if there is a reason Hironori’s murderer said this name, I don’t think it was him.”

The king held up his hand, eyes unwavering and expression unreadable, waiting for his son to give him back the sword. Getting it back, he made a step back and slowly turned to the guards, who were preparing for a transit of the body, with Akari still sobbing above their heads. 

"You better be right, son. We will find this man and we will learn whether your friend had a part in the murder or not.”

He approached his daughter, offering her an arm that she took without averting her eyes from the body

"How are you feeling?” Hajime carefully touched the prince’s shoulder, worry and fear mixed in his voice. "Do you want me to escort you to your chamber?”

For a few moments, Tooru didn’t answer. When he finally turned to his friend, he showed him a strained smile, so obviously fake it almost hurt the guard.

"We were supposed to go to the orangery, Iwa-chan. It’s still my birthday.” 

And without another word, Tooru walked back into the palace. He ignored the guests gathered in the hall and took a turn into a well lit corridor. Left with no other option, Hajime followed him. 

The orangery was beautiful at every hour of the day, but in the night it was almost magical. The glass ceilling, freshly cleaned by one of the servants, allowed them to see the stars and the plants gave them a felling of privacy, security.

Despite a chair standing just a few steps to the left, the prince sat on the grass and looked up. The was always Hajime’s favourite view - Tooru’s shining eyes when he was looking at the stars, for once calm and not full with worry about the future. Unfortunetely, that wasn’t the case this time. 

"Oikawa-"

"I’m sorry.”

The guard met his best friend’s gaze.

"What are you apologizing for?” 

He didn’t answer, just averted his eyes and laid down, covering his face with his hands.

Of course, Hajime knew that he was suspected by the king himself of murdering his daughter's husband, one of the best knights in the kingdom. The situation was bad, but not terrible. And Tooru had no part in this. He defended him. If anything, he made it slightly better. There was nothing to apologize for. So why the hell was he blaming himself?

Iwaizumi walked over to him and kneeled, reaching out with his hand. 

"I really don’t know why the murdered said what he said.” 

Tooru gave him a glare. Hajime knew that he trusted him. It was obvious that the prince didn’t suspect him. He couldn't. _Right?_

"How could you know that, Iwa-chan? Like I said, you’ve been in the palace and you haven’t contacted anyone outside of it for a long time now. You’d have to have planned it even before _we_ knew when Hironori was comming. It’s not like he comes every year for my birthday.” 

"Where you close? With your sister’s husband? You've never talked about him.”

Tooru shook his head slightly.

"I’m mostly worried about Takeru. He would always look up to him. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I hated the guy, but Takeru is…” he doezed off, but Hajime didn’t need to hear it to know how much the prince cared about his nephew. 

There was a lot happening around Tooru recently. A lot of things that Hajime couldn't stop from happening, which was beyond frustrating.

"Why did you want to come here?”

"Just… For some peace and quiet. To spend my birthday with someone I actually consider my family,” Oikawa whispered, turning his head to properly look into Iwaizumi’s eyes. The guard laid his sword down on the grass and got closer to the prince, hovering over his body. 

"Happy birthday, Tooru,” his voice matched the quiet whisper. 

Laying under the stars in comfortable silence, exhausted from the emotions and hidden by the plants, it was easy to forget themselves. It was easy to imagine a world in which they could be together. With no expectations, issues or worry.

The calm moment was broken by Tooru, when he threw his arms around Hajime’s neck and pulled him even closer. Their lips crushed, awkward and desperate. In shock, Hajime grabbed the taller man in the waist and flushed their bodies together. He felt Tooru shiver against him and a low growl escaped his lips. The prince moved beside him, shoving his hand into the guard's hair and inhaling his scent.

Hajime dreamed about this for a long time. At that moment, nothing else mattered. The future was the last thing on his mind, when he could hold the man he loved in his arms, kiss him, and maybe even tell him everything he felt like he had to say if he didn’t want to combust. It felt perfect.

His drain of thoughts was interrupted when he felt wetness on his cheeks. 

He pulled away and was met with the sight of crying Tooru. Not his usuall, ugly crying, Not the scary attack he witnessed in his room two nights before. His face was calm, even his lips didn’t quiver, but large tears fell one after another. Hajime didn’t need to ask. He simply wiped the tears away and left one last peck on his love’s lips.

"It’s going to be okay. I promise. I'm here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised some action, but I think I overdid it in this chapter lmao
> 
> Also this is my first time writing a kiss scene, so... Please, be gentle with me (but don't hesitate to give me some feedback)


End file.
